Writing can be a frustrating, lonely, soul-destroying way of life... so it's important to celebrate the good times!
Here are my Top 5 writing-related highlights of 2017 in no particular order.
1. The Godblind Launch - Attending the launch of Anna Stephen's grimdark debut novel was a fantastic evening. It began with an inspiring Q&A at Waterstones and descended into wine-fuelled gibberish at All Bar One. I rarely drink with my writers' group (because we usually end up bickering about Doctor Who) but this particular night was packed with feel-good vibes and proof that years of hard work at the laptop can pay off in style.
2. Winning the BWG Winter Competition - The theme was Nuns! Nuns! Nuns! It was a bonkers theme for a short story. I almost didn't enter. But inspiration struck five days before the deadline. I wrote, I submitted and (after a very tense judging process) won by a handful of points. I desperately needed this win after not self-publishing in 2017. Look at my happy face.
3. JuNoWriMo - I completed June Novel Writing Month, which means I wrote 50,000 words in June. This resulted in the creation of a new Nephos novella and three long short stories which have been stuck in my head for years.
4. Submission Possible - I topped the submission chart for my writers' group for the first time ever! Our Vice-Chair designed a lovely graph upon which I can lovingly gaze to remind myself that I haven't been procrastinating this year. I now have enough for almost 1.5 new short story collections.
5. Artwork for Breadcrumbs 2 - I received the first draft of the artwork for Breadcrumbs 2, my new short story collection. I didn't manage to click Publish before the end of 2017, but there is no greater feeling than seeing the front cover for the first time. It gives a face to the bundle of Word documents tucked away on my Dropbox. Look out for the collection in late January!
If you would like Simon to review your book then check out his Review Policy for more information. Sign up to Simon's newsletter to hear more about his reading and writing projects.
Here are my Top 5 writing-related highlights of 2017 in no particular order.
1. The Godblind Launch - Attending the launch of Anna Stephen's grimdark debut novel was a fantastic evening. It began with an inspiring Q&A at Waterstones and descended into wine-fuelled gibberish at All Bar One. I rarely drink with my writers' group (because we usually end up bickering about Doctor Who) but this particular night was packed with feel-good vibes and proof that years of hard work at the laptop can pay off in style.
2. Winning the BWG Winter Competition - The theme was Nuns! Nuns! Nuns! It was a bonkers theme for a short story. I almost didn't enter. But inspiration struck five days before the deadline. I wrote, I submitted and (after a very tense judging process) won by a handful of points. I desperately needed this win after not self-publishing in 2017. Look at my happy face.
3. JuNoWriMo - I completed June Novel Writing Month, which means I wrote 50,000 words in June. This resulted in the creation of a new Nephos novella and three long short stories which have been stuck in my head for years.
4. Submission Possible - I topped the submission chart for my writers' group for the first time ever! Our Vice-Chair designed a lovely graph upon which I can lovingly gaze to remind myself that I haven't been procrastinating this year. I now have enough for almost 1.5 new short story collections.
5. Artwork for Breadcrumbs 2 - I received the first draft of the artwork for Breadcrumbs 2, my new short story collection. I didn't manage to click Publish before the end of 2017, but there is no greater feeling than seeing the front cover for the first time. It gives a face to the bundle of Word documents tucked away on my Dropbox. Look out for the collection in late January!
If you would like Simon to review your book then check out his Review Policy for more information. Sign up to Simon's newsletter to hear more about his reading and writing projects.